Division of Graduate Studies
San Francisco State University
415.338.2234 | grad.sfsu.edu
RESUME DEVELOPMENT – WRITING ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS
The goal of accomplishment statements is to prove your effectiveness and value as an employee
or potential student. Showing how you have helped previous employers or organizations
demonstrates that you will be valuable as well.
LET’S GET STARTED
1. Highlight 3-5 of your main responsibilities and accomplishments in each role listed on your resume.
2. Begin by asking yourself:
• What problems did I solve?
• What benefits did I bring to my team, customers, and the organization?
• How do I know I was successful in my job?
3. Also consider asking the Ws*:
• What (what was the action/what was the benefit?)
• Where (where did my actions take place? was it a multi-city, or international project?)
• When (how long did my work take? was I speedy and efficient? did I successfully manage tight
deadlines?)
• Why (what goals did I achieve? what was the purpose of my actions? what may have been the
result if I didn’t take action?)
• How (what software or tools did I use? what skills or problem-solving did I use?)
• How many (did I generate or save money for my organization? how many people did I serve?
was I working with multiple stakeholders?)
* You do not need to include all of these details for each bullet point, though answering these questions can
help you discover some important details about your accomplishments that you may have otherwise
overlooked.
TRY THE CAR METHOD
It stands for: Challenge, Action, Result. Answering these questions can highlight your ability to problem
solve and achieve goals. Try answering the following 3 questions to build your accomplishment statements:
1) What was the challenge, problem, or context?
2) What action did I take? What skills do my actions display?
3) What were the results of my actions?
Division of Graduate Studies
San Francisco State University
415.338.2234 | grad.sfsu.edu
CAR STATEMENT EXAMPLE
Alli is currently an office assistant looking for work as a project coordinator.
Challenge
Action
Result
Alli was asked to research
locations for the new office
of her company (of 150
employees).
She conducted a survey with
employees to understand team
needs, analyzed locations of
public transportation and food
hubs, and created spreadsheets
including potential rental and
misc. costs.
The company saved
$40,000 annually on rental
costs and employee morale
increased with new office
location near a train station
and park.
Alli’s CAR Statement would be: “Led a project to move office locations for 150 employees, resulting in
rental costs savings of $40,000 annually and increased employee morale with new location.”
TIPS
• Review your previous performance reviews and see if there are any important accomplishments to
include.
• Review the responsibilities and requirements of the job description, and consider examples you
have done in your previous roles.
TRY IT! Using the CAR method, practice writing some accomplishment statements below:
Challenge:
Action:
Result:
Accomplishment
Statement:
